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Wednesday, 10 August 2011

Mini Mansions

Recently i've been in love with Queens of The Stone Age which means i've been checking out all the side projects from each member! Mini Mansions were founded in 2009 and is the side project created by QOTSA bassist Michael Shuman (aka Mikey Shoes) and old friends Tyler Parkford (Vocals, Keyboard, Guitar) and Zach Dawes (Vocals, Bass, Keyboards) Although Mikey is best know for playing bass, in Mini Mansions he plays drums, guitar and vocals. They are currently signed under Josh Homme's record label Rekords Rekords.

(Tyler, Mikey, Zach)

Their sound has been described as similar to The Beatles, Beach Boys and Elliot Smith. Personally i wouldn't think of these when listening to the music. Their debut album has sort of a dreamy/psychedelic feel too it which i like.Throughout the album there is Vignette #1, 2 & 3 which were recorded as one but split into 3 parts and gives a nice flow to the album. For me it is definitely an album that should be lsitened from start to finish because thats how it sounds best. From watching videos of their live performances on youtube you can see they work well together and can put on a good show even in a small bar. One thing that makes them different is that Mikey plays the drums standing up, in an interview he said this was because he isn't the greatest drummer but i think it works for them!

“There are a lot of thematic elements from film and television that come into play on the record, especially on the instrumental passages.” Michael Shuman

They have opened up for Them Crooked Vultures back in 2009 which i don't think suited them although i do love Them Crooked Vultures and Warpaint in 2010 which i think was a better match since they both make mellow/dreamy styled music. I wouldn't go into thinking that Mini Mansions are going to sound like QOTSA because they don't. Mikey said that he wanted on outlet to make good pop songs with his friends which i think he has. Some of the songs are very catchy and musically very strong.Favourite tracks:

Monk

Crime of the Season

Seven Sons

Majik Marker

Girls

Also They're cover of Blondie's Heart of Glass is definitely worth checking out, very different from the original but very good!

"Genuinely psychedelic with huge hooks... After listening to Mini Mansions just once, you won't be able to get it out of your head.'" Josh Homme